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Shutdown would take away $32 million a day from national parks

Tourist draws such as Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park will be closed to visitors if the government shuts down.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The shutdown would be the first in more than 15 years

Places such as Yellowstone National Park would be closed as a result of the impasse

Shutdown could crimp plans in South Carolina for 150th anniversary of Civil War start

New York (CNN) -- An average of $32 million a day in national parks revenue could be shut off if the Beltway showdown results in a government shutdown, officials say.

The measure would be the first shutdown in more than 15 years, shuttering national parks, seashores and historic sites, and barring some 800,000 daily visitors, according to David Barna, a spokesman for the National Parks Service.

Places such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona would be closed as a result of the impasse.

Tourist draws such as the Smithsonian National Museums in Washington would be locked and parades such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival could be called off, though organizers have pledged to hold a short parade despite the outcome. That festival draws roughly 1 million visitors each year.

Congressional lawmakers have been scrambling to negotiate a spending bill set to expire Friday, worrying those reliant on park tourism cash.

"These parks are the economic engines of some communities," said Barna. "They're often the largest employer in an area," referencing a network of restaurants, shops and hotels that often surround historic sites.

For years, Charleston has been planning the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War.

There, at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, Confederate artillery opened fire on Union positions on April 12, 1861, igniting a bloody conflict that would last for the next fours years.

The Tuesday re-enactment of the bombardment is expected to take place regardless of the shutdown, with the firing of guns to take place outside federal land. But the hundreds of blue- or gray-clad re-enactors who planned to camp at the historic fort will find it locked in the event of a shutdown.

"We started scheduling this week's vacation about four weeks ago," said Michigan resident Case Vaandering, who toured the Statue of Liberty on Thursday with his wife, Rochelle.

The pair said they had changed their route to visit the Smithsonian museums in Washington before venturing up to New York, fearful that a shutdown would block their favored Washington sites and museums.

"We thought the parks weren't going to open for us when we got here," Vaandering said.